Tag Archives: college studying

I have struggled a lot in the past with managing my time effectively. It’s not that I’m lazy, but frankly, I’m extremely forgetful and time can get away from me. There’s only 24 hours in the day and between school, homework, work, and socializing, something always suffers. I know I’m not the only one who struggles to maintain a healthy balance, so I thought I’d include some of the tips I’ve found helpful in managing my time.

The first tip I can give anyone is start tracking your time. Physically write down what you do hour to hour over a few days and suddenly you start to notice how much time you probably are wasting. For me, the biggest waster I saw was social media. I realized I was spending over two hours total a day on tumblr/facebook. It was a huge wake up call.

Secondly, I would recommend keeping an appointment book or a schedule. I find physically writing down what I need to be doing focuses me and furthermore leaves a reference for later if I forget.

Thirdly, and most important…Do not multitask. I know that we all think we can juggle three or four simple tasks at once but it’s frankly not feasible. If you want to finish several tasks quickly, the smartest way to do it is one task at a time. Multiple studies have been done demonstrating that the human brain is incapable of focusing on more than a single task at a time. What you’re actually doing when you multitask is switching your brain focus rapidly between those goals and this slows the entire process down significantly.

Whatever you do, just don’t allow yourself to waste time, it’s the most valuable commodity that you have!

We’ve all struggled with procrastination some point and all know how anxious it can make you feel. The initial belief that you have ample time to complete your assignment causes you to blow it off in favor of something more entertaining. Then that comfort morphs into a looming sense of dread as you realize that deadline is rapidly approaching and the next thing you know it’s 4 a.m. and you’re desperately trying to finish a 10 page research paper before your first class in the morning.

Honestly, I’m one of the worst offenders in regards to putting off work. I’ve done the same thing my entire high school career and I’ve noticed I procrastinated my entire first semester here, too. But I’m trying to remedy that. To be successful as college students, we need a higher standard of work ethic. And we can’t be subject to the pitfalls of procrastination that hold us back.

The first step in combating procrastination is recognizing our own patterns. Before you can change any dysfunctional behavior about yourself, you first need to understand how that behavior starts. Notice the thought process in your head that leads you to put off work. Once you know how it starts, you can force yourself to not acknowledge that feeling and stay productive.

Another key component in combating procrastination is strategies to minimize the inevitable feeling of boredom and fatigue that comes with completing a difficult task. There are dozens of strategies out there. The one found that works for me personally is segmenting my time. This means that I break up a large daunting task into smaller, seemingly more achievable ones. For example, when studying for a test, there’s no need to sit and study silently for two hours straight. Instead maybe study for 15 minutes or so then take a break, study for 15 and take a break, etc etc. And before you know it, you’ll have gotten through all of the material.

This is it… The final countdown. We’re almost there, ladies and gentlemen. It’s almost time for summer. For going to the drive-in, swimming, having bonfires, sleeping in, and taking a mental break from the college experience. I don’t know about all of you but I am so unbelievably ready for summer, it’s crazy. I’m ready to not have to constantly worry about how I’m going to find time to do everything that I need to do while going to college full time, having a full-time job, and still maintaining some sort of social life. I’m ready to feel the relief of leaving campus the last day of classes and realizing that I did it. I survived my freshmen year of college. I’m ready to no longer have an 8 a.m class every Monday and Wednesday. But before I do any of these wonderful things, I have to get through one final obstacle… Finals Week *Duh Duh Duhmmm*

It’s a frustrating week. It’s a scary week. It’s a stressful week. This is it. This is what your entire semester boils down to and that is frightening to me. But as I sit here thinking about what’s waiting on the other side of this week, I’m filled with confidence in myself and the other students here at CCBC. We are all here for one reason, to make ourselves better. We have everything we need to sail through this week with ease so believe in yourself, fellow student, and know that I believe in you as well.

As we come across finals week, I can officially say that I understand the differences between college and high school. As everyone knows, much longer breaks, which I’m sure bring that sense of relief to some, but it goes past that. Those tests that you could just blow off studying for in high school? I’ve definitely come to realize that it’s practically impossible to do in college. Through balancing all of life’s priorities, I’ve come to realize just how important it is to take time for school, complete homework, and most importantly—study for that test that you’re dreading. It’s difficult to get the motivation to keep going, and strive for better grades, but I’m sure we’ll all get to see how that plays out after we graduate college.

I have made it through the first semester of college, and I am definitely ready for my break. Afterward though, I know I’ll be looking forward to next semester with more new classes, new subjects. Growing up through elementary, middle, and high school, most of us have been stuck in one place for long. Though some of the classes are a pain to find motivation for, or aren’t the most interesting things to learn about, it’s definitely going to be nice having a sense of variety. New professors, new classes, and I’m sure, new opportunities! Good luck to everyone during finals week, and good luck next semester, whether you’re still here at CCBC, or transferring somewhere new. Enjoy your break, too. We deserve it!

Recently, I had a conversation with a student in high school. She was telling me how they are learning the writing format MLA. This made me think back to my days in high school when I learned this information and compared it to how my experience is in college now. In high school, the teachers would go step by step showing you how to create the proper header, cite your sources properly, and have a proper works cited page. Now that I am in college, it is much different. First of all, in high school, I was only introduced to the style of MLA. Now in college, I have been introduced to many more styles, such as APA, which I had to research how to do many of the specifics on my own. Compared to high school, in college, you are much more independent and expected to be able to many things on your own free time.

Another way you will notice that college is much different from high school is the amount of studying needed for classes. When I was in high school, a half hour of studying for a test would earn me an A. In college, I find myself studying for hours each day to earn the grades that I get. It can be somewhat of a shock for students at the beginning because they expect college to just be a continuation of high school. The truth is, it is much different. Even though it is different, that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing. You just have to focus and take it seriously.